Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

ComedyFan2010 When a neglected housewife figures out that her lunchbox is not being delivered to her husband she sends the man eating it a note which starts a communication through which they connect and even feel love.The movie may seem to slow for some. But this is actually what adds to it's charm. While it seems like a routine where they read notes from each other, each note adds more to their connection. We see them opening more to each other and starting to feel more hope and happiness in their lives.It doesn't have a happy ending. Or maybe it does to some point, just not a typical happy ending which we know from mainstream movies. The main characters never meet. When then time comes for it Saajan Fernandez feels too old for the woman who wrote to him (this actually doesn't seem correct as the actors are not that far apart in age, but the reality is not what he was feeling). And when she tries to come to his work to meet him he has already left. Yet there is still some happiness in it since she leaves her husband and goes to the place where she expects to be happy. And he remains in the neighborhood and seems to have found a new outlook for life which is shown in him connecting better to the children there. Who knows, maybe one day a wrong train will take the two again to a right station and they meet. And if not we know they influenced each other lives in a very positive way.Great acting. And there are many scenes that show it to us. How for example when finding out about a woman jumping from a high building with her daughter Saajan is worried it is Ila and checks right away on his lunchbox. Shaikh is also a great addition to the movie and we see through his relationship with Saajan how things are changing.A nice movie that is a pleasure to watch and to think after.

fahimay An Irfan Khan movie with a singular name, two aspects which affirmed that this would be an unusual movie. Actually it was more like a short story. I've heard about dabbawalas from my brother in law who marvelled at the flawless networked delivery system , and was pleasantly surprised to get a peek into the process. Though the plot is based on mixed delivery, I feel inclined to excuse the screenwriter because the mix-up triggers an interesting storyline. We get to experience a refreshing letter exchange in the era of Watsapp messages. I didn't understand why 'Ila' wrote in Hindi and Irfan corresponded in English; did love his enunciation though. The movie moves at a slow pace, with emotions speaking more than dialogues. The insecurities of a disconsolate housewife and soulless widower are unfolded one by one throughout the movie. There is nothing cinematic like drastic transformation of character, and that makes the screenplay more effective. A good watch for a leisurely afternoon.

krocheav Quite surprisingly good BAFTA nominated debut feature for Mumbai born, NY University film school drop-out, writer/Director Ritesh Batra. 'The Luchbox' features wonderful performances from all involved. Striking Nimrat Kaur, daughter of an Indian army officer (who was abducted and killed by Kashmiri Sepratists when she was 12) gives a performance laced with a deep sense of lonely soul searching as an estranged wife and mother. Highly regarded Indian Actor Irran Khan (can't forget his portrayal of the grown up 'Pi') gives equal measure to his detached, yet enigmatic character. Award nominated documentary cinematographer Michal Simmonds manages to combine well designed conventional shots with hand held camera that thankfully does not leave you feeling seasick. German born composer Max Richer adds atmosphere weaving an unobtrusive score. The performers and director seem to work together as if all the scenes are just falling into place without effort or planning. An uncommon feat in this age of computer designed, socially aware (of its self) movie making. Even the main story unfolds via a series of notes scratched out by hand. Don't watch it if looking for action, do watch if looking for introspective entertainment. A movie that tells its story of life's everyday complications without stooping to now common vulgarities. Commendable effort.

pyrocitor Indian cinema, courtesy of Bollywood, is generally associated with massive production values and glitz and glamour, so it's telling that the country's most critically revered film of 2013 was one so unassumingly intimate and small. Director Ritesh Batra (making an impressive feature debut)'s The Lunchbox is a thoroughly charming affair – too melancholy to live up to its marketing as a comedy, but brimming with heart and humanity, and a story that is both geographically precise and truthful yet broadly accessible to all.It stands to reason that Batra initially conceived of the film as a documentary following the exploits of Mumbai's Dabbawalas, or lunchbox delivery service, as the film pulses with a fundamentally genuine spirit in all aspects. The unshowy verisimilitude permeates both the intricacies of the on-location shoot, captured in all its bustle of movement and colour (the Dabbawalas undertaking their immaculately choreographed workplace deliveries and amiably singing between deliveries are clearly unstaged), and the emotional beats of the story alike. Batra allows a quiet, gentle voice-over romance ('epistolary' is your word of the day) to bloom, unhurried, like flower petals slowly extending towards the sun, without shoehorning in any mawkish sentiment or plot contrivances. This is not Hollywood, however, and easy gratification is as elusive as snappy dialogue. Batra is more interested in allowing his characters to breathe, musing on the oppressive, subtle weight and sadness of unexpected aging, and how small, genuine gestures can cumulatively bring people together or drive them apart. He utilizes clever graphic matches to establish parallelism, sometimes cheekily, but it's his only hint of artifice in a film that otherwise feels welcomely old-fashioned yet fresh, honest, and fun.As an effective two-hander, the film's dual leads do phenomenal work in substantiating the relaxed yet emotionally rich feel throughout. Irrfan Khan is a master of saying volumes with only the slightest arch of an eyebrow or downward curve of his mouth, and, despite looking far too young to embody a retiring widower at only 46 (a poignant commentary in itself…), his gently commanding presence infuses his initial cantankerous exterior with both radiant sadness and impish gleams of hope. Nimrat Kaur is equally fantastic, wearing melancholy but decisive action around her like a shawl. Although we're given more time with Khan, it's Kaur that steers the film, tenaciously prodding her fraying life into shape, and it's captivating to see an actor convey so many dancing, conflicting thoughts and motivations without any evident performance tics, making her performance the essence of credible, and sprinkled with dashes of the driest wit. Nawazuddin Sidiqui also lends great support as Khan's chirpy coworker and eventual successor. Despite bringing many of the film's laughs, Sidiqui is careful to build himself enough of a character, and tragic backstory of his own, to never feel like a comedic relief plot device; conversely, he rounds out the clumsy trifecta of broken people stubbornly trying to bludgeon his life into taking shape. Elegantly elegiac and perfectly heartwarming, The Lunchbox is that rare film festival darling that feels wholly fresh and unassuming, without a whiff of cloying falsehood whatsoever. Despite the film's central metaphor of 'even the wrong train will sometimes lead to the right station', Batra's film proves that sometimes appearances aren't deceiving – a film marketed as intimate, wholesome, and delightfully cute can be just that, no strings attached. Now: who's hungry? -8/10